Photo courtesy of Bruce Ingram.

Every summer for the past four years, various friends and I have float-fished a different section of the South Branch of the Potomac and the West Virginia section of the upper Potomac. This past June, fellow schoolteachers Doak Harbison, Tim Wimer and I navigated a three-day float from Hancock/Berkeley Springs to Shepherdstown.

As readers no doubt know, the Potomac Watershed has endured a number of fish kills since 2002, beginning with a kill on the South Branch that year. In this two-part story, I will cover the latest on the health of the river, as well as give information on how to explore the upper Potomac from Berkeley Springs/Hancock to Shepherdstown.

UPDATE ON THE POTOMAC SYSTEM
Last May, Bret Preston, an assistant chief for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR), reported that a kill took place on the North Fork of the South Branch and the South Branch itself at a number of locations, including the famed and pristine Smoke Hole. And the Shenandoah and its tributaries in Virginia also endured a substantial fish kill, similar to the ones earlier in both states. (Note: West Virginians can report fish kills to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Spill Hotline at (800) 642-3074 or they can complete an online reporting form at www.potomacwaterwatch.org.

As readers may know, the DNR and DEP have been dealing with fish perishing on the Potomac and Shenandoah watersheds since the 2002 fish kill on the South Branch. Fortunately, these latest West Virginia reports only concerned mostly Northern hogsuckers and golden redhorse suckers, as well as some fallfish and sunfish. And, again, fortunately, there were no reports the rest of the spring, which is when the fish kills occur. Unfortunately, the James River in Virginia experienced a kill similar to the ones that have taken place on the West Virginia and Virginia arms of the Shenandoah and Potomac.

The DNR and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) have an excellent reputation for working cooperatively on numerous issues and are doing so on this matter as well. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has personnel working with the two states also, as has the U.S. Geological Survey.

John Mullican, a Maryland fisheries biologist for the upper Potomac, which forms the Maryland and West Virginia border, gives this very positive overview.

“Smallmouth bass fishing has been very good with anglers reporting good catches of smallmouth bass between 12 and 15 inches,” Mullican said. “Our young-of-the-year seining results documented an average hatch in 2006 and an above-average hatch in 2005. Of the adult smallmouth bass collected by electrofishing during October 2006 that exceeded 7 inches, 34 percent exceeded 11 inches and 13 percent exceeded 14 inches. The October 2006 electrofishing catch rate for smallmouth bass 11 inches and larger was consistently 20 bass per hour throughout the river. For the angler, this means that quality-sized smallmouth bass are relatively abundant.

“There have been no reported fish kills of smallmouth bass on the upper Potomac. During the spring of 2006, a low-level, chronic redhorse sucker kill occurred, primarily in western Washington and Allegheny counties. Lesions were observed on 31 percent of the redhorse suckers collected at Paw Paw and 17 percent of the redhorse suckers collected at Hancock during May 2007. However, no fish kills have been reported and lesions were not observed on any other species.”

Besides the apparent comeback of the smallmouth bass, Mullican notes that channel catfish are plentiful throughout the upper Potomac. Walleyes are also available throughout the upper Potomac with the highest abundance occurring from Dam 4 downstream to Harpers Ferry. A naturally reproducing population of muskellunge is now established in the Potomac from Little Orleans downstream to Point of Rocks.